the only one
by jd-writer
Summary: Rose is moroi. DImitri is her guardian. They've both had a rough time and no one seems to get that - except themselves  hence the title . Better than it sounds, M for later. CLICK ME AND READ ! then reviews would be nice too :


I don't remember a time I wasn't at this academy. For as long as I can remember, this has been my home and the guardians here have been the closest thing I have to a family – even though I had an unspoken resentment towards them. Families were supposed to hug you when you cry, give you a present or a cake on your birthday, take you shopping, video you when you embarrass yourself, smile, hold you, be _there_ for you no matter where you are or what happened. After sixteen years of being alone, you kind of adopt your own, new meaning of family. Mine was stuck up, arrogant ass-wipes that insisted on being stoic and unemotional all the time, never actually caring for you. I guess you could say, I didn't have a _happy _upbringing. But I was content to be by myself. If I was alone, it didn't matter that I didn't have a family to do all those things. If I was alone, I didn't need to trust in them, I didn't need to have my heart broken. When I was ten, I made myself a promise. I was going to stop being curious about my family. If they wasted ten years not wanting to get to know me, then I wasn't going to hurt over them. I promised myself that I didn't need someone to hug me when I cried – because I don't cry, I don't hurt and I don't trust. I promised myself that I didn't need someone to celebrate my birthday with – who wants to get older anyway? I promised myself I didn't need anyone to take me shopping – they'd probably lie to me about how I look anyway. I promised myself I didn't need anyone to video me – my life isn't that important anyway, so why the hell would I want to have it recorded as a memory? I promised myself I didn't need someone to smile and hold me – I'm strong and can stand on my own. And I promised myself that I didn't need someone to be _there_ for me no matter what – because I'd never known what it felt like anyway, I learnt to deal on my own.

As I said, I'm content to be alone. My grades are... well, they are enough to get me to pass. I am healthy and slim, just like any other moroi. I sleep well. I take good care of myself. Given my history, I am more normal than you'd think – well, except for the few pink scars that crossed each other on my wrists. I kept them hidden with wrist bands. I'm strong, but even the strongest people had their moments of weakness.

"Happy sixteenth birthday" I whispered to my reflection. This had been one of my weaker moments. I had come to terms with the fact that I was alone, but I never said it was easy. Slowly I lifted the razor to my wrist, placing it at the beginning of an already pink scar. To be able to feel something was amazing, much better than the numbness I kept myself in all the time – even though the numbness was healthier. I closed my eyes and sighed. For a moment, just a moment, I felt at peace. As I began to feel the sting even more, I rinsed the wound and bandaged it up, slipping my many wristbands back onto my wrist, successfully hiding the bandage.

As usual I skipped breakfast, preferring instead, to sit out in the garden on the soft grass and stare up at the night sky. I rested my hands behind my head and closed my eyes, waiting for the bell to ring, signalling first period. There was nothing I loved more than just laying here, and not having to think. And the beauty about being alone, nobody was going to _ever_ interrupt peaceful thinking. The day passed relatively fast and before I knew it, I was sitting again in my secret garden, pondering, well nothing. My bandage had become really uncomfortable with the wristbands digging in all day, so I slipped them off beside me and unwrapped the bandage, giving my cut some time to breathe and heal.

"Are you ok?" I heard an accented voice speak from somewhere beside me. I opened my eyes to look at a very tall, very built dhampir, probably a year or two older than me. I haven't seen him around campus before – her had to be new, a transfer maybe. For a while I just stared at him, trying to figure out why someone was here in my secret garden, let alone talking to me.

"Sorry?" was my ingenious response. The stranger cracked a smile.

"I asked if you were ok? That cut, it looks nasty." His gaze drifted to my wrist and my eyes followed. I hadn't realised my wrist was still facing up and easily seen. Shyly, I grabbed the bandage and re-dressed it.

"It's fine" I stated, not really wanting to get into a conversation with him – especially not about _that_.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" My head snapped back up to him. I regarded him warily just barely nodding my head. Hey, just because I was alone all the time didn't mean I didn't know how to be polite!

"I guess." Daintily, he sat right across from me and held out his hand.

"My name is Dimitri Belikov and it is a pleasure to meet you Miss... ?" I took his hand and shook it.

"Rose, just Rose." He again smiled at me. What was up with that? I didn't have anything to say so we both sat there in an awkward silence until he decided to break it.

"It's beautiful here. Do you come here often?"

"Everyday" I murmured, closing my eyes and laying down in the grass.

"Alone? Every day? Even on your birthday?" he was teasing. That much was evident in his voice. Little did he know.

"It is my birthday" I told him not opening my eyes or moving. My tone was serious.

"Oh." _HA!_ I thought. _Rose: 1, Stranger: 0_. "Well, happy birthday." I rolled over so I could see him without having to sit up and opened my eyes.

"What are you doing, Dimitri?" He seemed confused. "Here, I mean. What are you doing here? Sitting in my garden talking to me?"

"Being friendly?" he offered. I just looked at him, willing him to understand. I didn't _be friendly_. After a while understanding seemed to dawn on him. "You like to be alone?" I think he meant it as a statement, but it came out as a question.

"I've been alone for sixteen years" was my simple reply. His eyes saddened at that. "What?" I asked immediately noticing his change in mood. I was very good at reading people – even if I didn't talk to them. I was observant.

"You, being alone." He whispered. "It's sad."

"It's life" I told him. "No one said it was easy, no one said it was fair. It just is, what it is." I usually didn't like speaking to anyone, but he was different. Talking to Dimitri was different, easy.

"How old are you Rose?"

"16." His question had surprised me but I wasn't going to be rude and ignore him – I sort of like him.

"You are very wise for someone so young." I shrugged. We were silent again for a while, this time, the awkwardness seemed to disappear. "Tell me," he whispered. "If you could wish upon a star" he pointed to a random star, "any star, right now, and have your birthday wish come true, what would you wish for? Forget everything and just wish."I looked in the general direction he had pointed. _Forget everything and just wish_. With all my boundaries temporarily down, and the only promise I had ever made – to myself – forgotten I spoke without even thinking.

"I'd wish for a normal life. A family. Someone to hold me, to love me. Someone to make me laugh and _want_ to get up in the morning... I'd wish to be anyone _but_ Rose Hathaway." He took my hand in both of his and I jumped at the contact, staring at our hands. Slowly he traced the now visible bandage – I had forgotten to put my wrist bands back on.

"I wouldn't wish for you to change" he whispered as he kissed my knuckles and stood up. "I'll see you later, _Roza_." And then he left.

**DPOV –**

Alberta had given me the day off to familiarise myself with the grounds. After all, I was going to be on shift for more than eight hours a day. I had no idea where my feet were taking me, but it didn't seem as if I could stop them either. They led me to a little secluded garden that obviously didn't see much use. Everything was green – except the young moroi girl who lay in the middle of the field wincing at the pain from the red cuts on her wrist. She was beautiful. I couldn't help but take a step closer to her. Her long, brown hair was fanned out behind her, her eyes were closed and she had a look of utter peace on her face. She did not seem the kind of person that needed to cut to _feel_.

"Are you ok?" I asked her. Her eyes snapped open as she sat up to look at me.

"Sorry?" she asked. I smiled.

"I asked if you were ok. That cut, it looks nasty." My eyes trailed down to the cut on her wrist. After a few moments she seemed to realise what I had been looking at and wrapped her wrist in the bandage that was laying beside her.

"It's fine" she stated, clearly not really wanting to talk about it. Her gaze was still focussed on her wrist.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" _That_ got her attention. Her head sapped up to me again. She studied me carefully before nodding.

"I guess." So as not to scare her, I daintily took a seat on the grass across from her. There was something about her. I just wanted to know her.

"My name is Dimitri Belikov and it is a pleasure to meet you Miss... ?" I offered her my hand.

"Rose, just Rose." _Rose. _Something tugged at my heart as I looked at her again. I felt this almost gravitational pull towards her. _Mine._ Before she noticed anything I smiled widely at her. She didn't say anything after that and I left her to just sit there in her thoughts – as I was sitting with my own. It happened. I knew it would happen someday, but I'd expected to be older.

"It's beautiful here." _You're beautiful _I mentally added. "Do you come here often?"

"Everyday" she whispered before once again closing her eyes and lying down.

"Alone? Every day? Even on your birthday?" I teased. I wanted to see a smile on her lips.

"It is my birthday" she said matter-of-factly. I frowned.

"Oh. Well, happy birthday." She rolled over to look at me.

"What are you doing, Dimitri?" _Huh?_ "Here, I mean. What are you doing here? Sitting in my garden talking to me?" Well, that answer was a whole lot different to what it would have been five minutes ago. I needed to be here now.

"Being friendly?" I said while she looked at me pleadingly. "You like to be alone?" I hadn't meant it as a question.

"I've been alone for sixteen years" I frowned again looking down. "What?"

"You, being alone." I whispered. "It's sad."

"It's life. No one said it was easy, no one said it was fair. It is what it is." Not for her. She was moroi. Life wasn't supposed to be laid out and unfair for her – that was what it was supposed to be like for me. She shouldn't have to think like that. She should be surrounded by an army of friends, a loving family, and living it up while she's still young.

"How old are you Rose?"

"16."

"You are very wise for someone so young." She shrugged. Again we sat in silence. "Tell me, if you could wish upon a star" I pointed up into the sky, "any star, right now, and have your birthday wish come true, what would you wish for? Forget everything and just wish." She looked into the sky with me and sadness washed over her features.

"I'd wish for a normal life. A family. Someone to hold me, to love me. Someone to make me laugh and _want_ to get up in the morning... I'd wish to be anyone _but_ Rose Hathaway." Without thinking about it, I reached out and grabbed her hand between both of mine, slightly tracing the outline of her bandage.

"I wouldn't wish for you to change." I kissed her knuckles and stood up. "I'll see you later, _Roza_." As I walked away I smiled at her Russian name.

She was it. I found her. I headed straight over to the administration building. I had to talk to Guardian Petrov immediately. After literally running to her office, I had to refrain from knocking the door down and wait for her to call me in. I knocked loudly so she could hear and after a while I heard her faint "enter". Her office was plain – but then again, what could you really expect for a guardian. She smiled at me as I walked over to the chair on the opposite side of her desk.

"Ah, Dimitri. What can I do for you? Are you settled in ok?"

"Guardian Petrov, I –"

"Alberta" she corrected.

"Alberta. I have to talk to you about my guarding arrangements. I know that I only _just _graduated, and you're probably going to think I'm crazy for telling you how to do your job, but I _have_ to guard this girl. Rose, Rose something." I was frustrated that I didn't get her last name. "You remember what I told you, about the magic in my blood?" she nodded.

"It happened didn't it?" she asked in complete understanding. I nodded. "You know she doesn't have anyone, she sits by herself all day every day - almost completely invisible."

"Please understand Alberta. It's like gravity isn't holding me here anymore – she is." **(A/N: so Dimitri has some kind of ancient magic blood and can imprint like the werewolves from twilight – I HAD TO STEAL THE LINE hehehehe)**. She studied me for a long time before she spoke again.

"I suppose you will no longer need the timetable I gave you earlier. From now own, you will be her official guardian. And Dimitri," she was looking into my eyes very seriously, "help her. She's so young, yet so old. I think you'll be good for her. She needs a good old dose of good."I smiled, nodded and headed out of her office towards the cafeteria.


End file.
